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View Poll Results: Thoughts on Presidents Speech about ISIS and US Actions?

Re: Thoughts on Presidents Speech about ISIS and US Actions?

Good speech. Not so good examples of what he thinks are successes. As far as a military strategy is concerned, I tend to be concerned that we are putting our hope in ground forces that so far have accomplished record desertions and set a new standard for fleeing from the enemy.

Air power will not, and has never, won a war or defeated and enemy.

What I found most interesting, was the dichotomy of his statements in the speech versus what he was saying just weeks ago, and then trying to present them as if it was his strategy all along - specifically this part: "Moreover, I have made it clear that we will hunt down terrorists who threaten our country, wherever they are. That means I will not hesitate to take action against ISIL in Syria as well as Iraq. This is a core principle of my presidency: If you threaten America, you will find no safe haven."

Also, he couched the entire speech as if it were some counter-terrorism campaign, yet ISIS has tanks, rocket launchers and is a real Army. Not a bunch of guys that are planning suicide bombings (although they do that as well), but a real Army, with money, heavy weapons and thousands of soldiers. I don't think that a counter-terrorist strategy is what is needed when this is a real war, which will be waged on the ground with ground troops, armor and heavy weapons. None of which the Arab countries, especially Iraq, is prepared to do.

I hope he is successful. I thought he gave a good speech. I just don't think it's going to be successful. I hope I'm wrong.

Everything in your life is a reflection of a choice you have made. If you want a different result, don't blame someone else, or expect others to make a change, you should stop complaining and make a different choice. Remember, the circumstances of your birth don't determine the outcome of your life.

Re: Thoughts on Presidents Speech about ISIS and US Actions?

Originally Posted by NIMBY

That's complete moronic nonsense as you would say TurtleDude.
All Americans were behind Bush after 9/11--could you have said that if 9/11 happened under Obama or Gore?
As we constantly see from you righties, Dems did support the Cheney war resolution--because they were lied to.
Once the lies came out--not so much .

with the election looming, the grim weepers of the Dem party in the media started whining about the deaths hoping for more to use as campaign fodder against the President. we used to see daily death reports in the news that were parroted by W haters all over the web. not here of course since this board didn't exist then but we saw it constantly. And yes, some Dems hoped for a military disaster in the fall of 04 so they could snatch back the white house after Sore-Loserman's attempt to steal the election away failed.

Re: Thoughts on Presidents Speech about ISIS and US Actions?

Other.

I found the President’s strategy a mixed bag. There were parts I agreed with: airstrikes against ISIS, aiding Kurdish and Iraqi forces, expanding Intelligence-gathering and counterterrorism efforts, and continuing humanitarian assistance. Unfortunately, there were also parts that were counterproductive, namely the tactic of aiding actors in Syria’s vicious sectarian conflict with no mention of controls or mechanisms to assure that such assistance is directed at ISIS. Toward that end, the President declared:

Across the border, in Syria, we have ramped up our military assistance to the Syrian opposition. Tonight, I again call on Congress to give us additional authorities and resources to train and equip these fighters.

Assisting sectarian factions in Syria’s multifaceted civil war would be a counterproductive step. While the U.S. need not partner with the Assad government, it should not assist sectarian elements that have displayed little regard for civilian welfare, have engaged in shifting alliances of expediency resulting in weapons leakage to radical elements, have made no meaningful commitments toward American interests and those of regional American allies, and have contributed significantly to the instability that ISIS has exploited.

In the broader geopolitical framework, allies of the Assad regime can reasonably worry that increasing arms deliveries to various sectarian actors in Syria’s conflict is, at least in part, a backdoor “regime change” initiative. If so, one can expect them to step up their own assistance to that dictatorship. The end result could be a more intense sectarian conflict in Syria. Such an outcome could diminish the effectiveness of the air campaign against ISIS, as it could also create new opportunities for the terrorist organization from the expanded instability. Furthermore, there was no mention of helping Jordan and Egypt, both key American regional allies, deal with potential threats from ISIS.

Another point that I found troublesome is that the strategies in Yemen and Somalia were described as successful. In fact, both areas continue to face substantial terrorist activity. Just as President Bush famously erred in his “mission accomplished” address, I believe President Obama is prematurely proclaiming success in two initiatives that remain far more works in progress than concrete successes.

Finally, the President declared, “I can announce that America will lead a broad coalition to roll back this terrorist threat” but provided no examples to demonstrate the breadth of this coalition. In fact, later in his speech, his remarks hinted that key parts of such a coalition are not yet in place. He stated:

Secretary Kerry was in Iraq today… and in the coming days he will travel across the Middle East and Europe to enlist more partners in this fight, especially Arab nations who can help mobilize Sunni communities in Iraq and Syria to drive these terrorists from their lands.

IMO, given their direct and large interests in the situation, the White House should already have put together the Arab coalition. That it hasn’t is not exactly encouraging. This begs the question as to whether the White House is promising more than it can deliver when it comes to putting together such a coalition.

All said, the speech was a mixed bag. There were some strong points, but also the glaring weakness of aiding sectarian factions in Syria with no mention of controls or other mechanisms to assure that such assistance would be used strictly against ISIS rather than in the pursuit of those organizations’ own sectarian goals. In short, my guess is that the fight against ISIS is unlikely to be close to resolution in the near-term. Furthermore, there is a risk that ISIS will remain a fairly formidable regional threat even by the end of the President’s term in office.

Re: Thoughts on Presidents Speech about ISIS and US Actions?

More complete nonsense is recognized and dismissed--as you say to me.
Why say it when you can't prove it?

Originally Posted by TurtleDude

with the election looming, the grim weepers of the Dem party in the media started whining about the deaths hoping for more to use as campaign fodder against the President. we used to see daily death reports in the news that were parroted by W haters all over the web. not here of course since this board didn't exist then but we saw it constantly. And yes, some Dems hoped for a military disaster in the fall of 04 so they could snatch back the white house after Sore-Loserman's attempt to steal the election away failed.

Re: Thoughts on Presidents Speech about ISIS and US Actions?

Originally Posted by Beaudreaux

Good speech. Not so good examples of what he thinks are successes. As far as a military strategy is concerned, I tend to be concerned that we are putting our hope in ground forces that so far have accomplished record desertions and set a new standard for fleeing from the enemy.

Air power will not, and has never, won a war or defeated and enemy.

What I found most interesting, was the dichotomy of his statements in the speech versus what he was saying just weeks ago, and then trying to present them as if it was his strategy all along - specifically this part: "Moreover, I have made it clear that we will hunt down terrorists who threaten our country, wherever they are. That means I will not hesitate to take action against ISIL in Syria as well as Iraq. This is a core principle of my presidency: If you threaten America, you will find no safe haven."

Also, he couched the entire speech as if it were some counter-terrorism campaign, yet ISIS has tanks, rocket launchers and is a real Army. Not a bunch of guys that are planning suicide bombings (although they do that as well), but a real Army, with money, heavy weapons and thousands of soldiers. I don't think that a counter-terrorist strategy is what is needed when this is a real war, which will be waged on the ground with ground troops, armor and heavy weapons. None of which the Arab countries, especially Iraq, is prepared to do.

I hope he is successful. I thought he gave a good speech. I just don't think it's going to be successful. I hope I'm wrong.

Nice summation, Beau. I wish I had written it as my answer to TDS pales in comparison. We had the same response, but you said it better than I did.

Generally speaking, a good speech. But what will actually happen is a big question mark. I don't know 100% after listening to him that he realizes that ISIS is a real army. I hope so, and I'll stay optimistic that he does.

Re: Thoughts on Presidents Speech about ISIS and US Actions?

Was there something particular in his speech that you think I should be impressed with?

The kind of support I've come to expect from you people for the last six years .

I've had six years to get the measure of Obama. My post was a result of my opinion of him. When it comes to Obama and foreign policy and dealing with troubling issues and threats to Americans he doesn't get high marks from me. The best he ever did was early on when he simply followed the path laid out by Bush. He doesn't have that crutch anymore and his actions have been akin to floundering in rough seas.

But...I WILL repeat myself and say that I hope he succeeds in eliminating ISIS.